The Commission for the expansion of the Barcelona airport is given nine months to rescue the plan

The Committee for the expansion of the Barcelona airport promoted by the Foment del Treball employers' association is already set up and will meet for the first time on September 12.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
05 September 2022 Monday 08:44
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The Commission for the expansion of the Barcelona airport is given nine months to rescue the plan

The Committee for the expansion of the Barcelona airport promoted by the Foment del Treball employers' association is already set up and will meet for the first time on September 12. Its objective is to serve as an instrument that facilitates compliance with the "Barcelona, ​​connected to the world by an intercontinental airport", with the idea of ​​unblocking the failed investment of 1,700 million by Aena, which a year ago fell out of the investment plan included in the Airport Regulation Document.

At that time, the lack of support from the Generalitat, together with the opposition of various city councils in the area and environmental entities, led to the suspension of an extension that had the backing of Aena and the Government. The commission that has promoted Foment tries to put the project back on the table, promoting dialogue between all the parties involved and trying to provide studies and solutions that allow the extension to be carried out with the least environmental impact.

Engineer Lluís Moreno, who also chairs the Chamber of Works Contractors of Catalonia (CCOC), has been appointed as president of the Commission, and is accompanied by 23 other representatives of Catalan civil society. In addition to Josep Sánchez Llibre, president of Foment, and other members of the management, ex-minister Josep Piqué stands out; the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Mònica Roca; Xavier Panés, president of Cecot; and Pedro Nueno, professor at IESE.

Along with them, there are two other very defined groups. On the one hand, there are personalities from sectors that live very directly from the airport, such as Jordi Clos (Gremi d'Hotels de Barcelona) or Eduard Torres (Turisme de Barcelona). On the other, the Commission is sensitive to the environmental problem and that is why it includes Imma Estrada, environmental engineer and corporate director of Esteyco, or Jordi Sargatal, ornithological naturalist and director of Grup Mascort.

The Commission has set a nine-month work schedule with the idea of ​​drawing up a proposal at the end of June. Sánchez Libre is convinced that it is possible to recover the investment committed to the expansion and that it will mean the creation of tens of thousands of jobs.